This Side of Paradise

The original title was "The Romantic Egoist," which aptly describes the main character, a privileged young man who squanders his youth, his education, his affections, and his considerable social and financial advantages. Amory symbolizes a new generation of Americans who find no relevance in the past, face no meaningful struggle in the present, fear poverty as they've not earned their wealth, and struggle to form some vision of the future. This is F. Scott Fitzgerald's first novel, published in 1920.